How to Winterize a Raised Garden Bed (7 Tips and Tricks)

After a effective harvest, it is time to set your elevated garden bed away for the cold wintertime. In other terms, you are heading to have to winterize your raised backyard garden mattress to make positive it is secured and all set to go when spring rolls about.

Fortunately, winterizing a elevated garden mattress is not that challenging, particularly if you know these 7 suggestions and methods:

How to Winterize a Raised Garden Bed (7 Tips and Tricks)

1. Clean Out Your Bed

The very first thing you must often do when winterizing your garden bed is to clear it out. Pull up any lifeless plant content, ill crops, and weeds. If you depart these factors in the bed, you could lead to insect infestation or condition to overtake the complete bed. So, thoroughly clean out your mattress now to have healthful soil appear spring.


2. Refill Soil

Don’t forget to refill the soil. Far more than very likely, you will need to have to refill the soil at the very least to some degree. So, insert just a small bit of soil until finally you attain your preferred stage. How considerably you incorporate will fluctuate from year to 12 months.


3. Add Compost

Even though you are refilling the soil, include some compost to the elevated backyard garden beds, as well. Introducing compost will guarantee that the soil is further healthy and healthy for your vegetation appear springtime. It also provides a layer of protection.

Decompost
Image Credit: Thiti Wongluang, Pixabay

4. Add a Protective Layer

If you know that you wrestle with weeding, it’s a excellent concept to insert an added protecting layer in excess of the soil. For a lot of folks, a layer of natural compost will be sufficient security, but you may also want to incorporate some leaf mould, mulch, or leaves.

For further safety, take into account a cover crop. These include crops will properly reduce weeds and help to preserve your soil’s health while it is chilly.


5. Repair the Structure

Although you are checking out the soil, make confident to look at the structure. The exterior demands to be thoroughly clean and be totally free of any repairs. This will make your job so significantly less complicated arrive spring. Some winters, you might not need to do something, whereas you may possibly require to redo practically the complete bed for other a long time.

Cedar Raised Garden Bed
Image Credit: Kristen Prahi, Shutterstock

6. Plant Your Winter Harvest

Alternatively of allowing your raised yard beds to go to squander, plant winter crops in your empty beds. Garlic, carrots, leafy greens, and radishes expand fantastic in the winter season. You may need to have to insert some extra winter crop equipment, these kinds of as row cover tunnels or cold frames.


7. Plan For Leaf and Snow Removal

No matter of no matter whether you pick to plant a wintertime harvest, plan for leaf and snow removal. You will likely want to take away fallen leaves and snow as the winter goes on. Remove these issues as shortly as feasible so that your elevated backyard garden beds do not get ruined ahead of springtime.

snow on leaves
Image Credit: laura adai, Unsplash

Should I cover my raised beds in the winter?

Regardless of whether or not you go over your elevated beds ultimately is dependent on your choice and your atmosphere. You always want to cover your beds with some substance, no matter whether it be compost or leaves. A one layer will add safety that is important in the wintertime.

If you know you stay in an incredibly severe winter season region, you might also want to include some kind of tarp or plastic over the best of the lifted mattress. This can assist protect your winter harvest and the soil beneath.

Which plants are best for winter crops?

Really do not enable your elevated backyard garden beds go to squander in the winter season. Instead, select crops that are excellent for a winter harvest. Leafy greens like lettuce, kale, and spinach are great. So are vegetation like garlic, mustard greens, arugula, carrots, inexperienced onions, and even broccoli.

Ahead of you go crazy with your winter harvest, make sure to verify out your USDA planting zone. The planting zone refers to how chilly your area will get in the wintertime. You can then discover crops that match your area making use of these zones.

Conclusion

Prepare your elevated beds for the winter by cleaning out the bed, refilling the soil, adding compost, and adding a protective layer. Don’t neglect to seem at the composition, plant a winter harvest, and strategy for leaf and snow elimination. By carrying out these issues, your raised garden mattress will be completely ready appear springtime.

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Showcased Picture Credit history: John R Martin, Shutterstock

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